Michael Dempsey/The Jersey JournalJersey City Ward E councilman Steven Fulop speaks at the anti-gas pipeline meeting at City Hall on March 26, 2012.

Jersey City mayoral hopeful and Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop has announced he has quit his day job as a Wall Street trader to focus on the 2013 city election.

In an e-mail to supporters, Fulop said the move is symbolic of his commitment to the race.

“History is littered with well-intentioned campaigns that started too late and that were ultimately crushed by the Jersey City political machine,” he said. “I don’t intend on letting that happen.”

The announcement brought a swift and sarcastic response from Mayor Jerramiah Healy, who is for now Fulop’s only major competition in the 2013 mayoral race. Healy blasted Fulop’s connection to “the one percenters on Wall Street,” and chided him for being out of touch.

“Clearly he lives in a reality far different than the majority of Jersey City residents who cannot afford to take a year off from work,” said Healy. “And if Mr. Fulop would like, we can show him around the other five wards of the city areas he has yet to visit during his time on the council.”

The mayor also said Fulop giving up his day job should improve his “dismal attendance record at caucus and council meetings.”

According to records from the city clerk, Fulop attended all 22 regular council meetings in 2010 and 20 of 23 caucuses. Last year, he had perfect attendance at all 22 regular meetings and made it to 18 of 22 caucuses. He missed three of four special meetings in 2011.

Fulop, who grossed around $33,000 last year for his council gig, dismissed Healy’s comments.

“The truth is I am going to live the next year on a very tight budget, which is something every taxpayer knows hasn’t been the case for the city budget since Healy became mayor,” he said.